(Jesen u najvećoj Evropskoj klisuri) - Autumn in Europe’s Largest Gorge

 

Đerdap, 11-12.11.2021

Victory Day in World War I, Thursday – a day off, Friday – same deal.

Couldn’t get much better than that... ;)

Naturally, I start planning where we’ll be cycling...

I consider the Negotin region (Mount Miroč, Kladovo, and part of the Iron Gates), but my friend Bojan from Negotin, where we usually stay, is fully booked, so Negotin is off the table right away.

Well, fine, I thought to myself, let’s stick with the Iron Gates since I’d already planned to ride through this part of Serbia. Honestly, I always enjoy riding through the gorge whenever I have the chance.

After thinking it over, I realized I’d never cycled through here in the fall, so there’s my reason to bike this route again (for who knows how many times, but it’s always different in its own way, and it’s never boring).

For those who haven’t been to the Iron Gates Gorge, I highly recommend visiting it. Naturally, I prefer doing it by bike—it allows you to see so many details that you’d miss by car (plus, with a bike, you can stop a hundred times if needed, and the 29 tunnels add a special charm).

For those who don’t know, the Iron Gates is the longest (100km) and largest gorge in Europe. The Danube here is at its widest (over 6km near Golubac), its narrowest (150m), and its deepest, with depths over 80m—one of the deepest rivers in the world. In fact, the Danube’s bed in the gorge is below sea level, which is quite fascinating.

Let’s skip over the many interesting facts about this beautiful region, rich in history…
One day I’ll have to write a full account of all the Iron Gates’ landmarks, and there are really a lot (from the last ice age to today, a lot has happened here).

Since Plan A – Negotin is out, Plan B – the Iron Gates Gorge is the next best option:

1. Thursday: Golubac to Donji Milanovac (about 54-55km),
2. Friday: the most interesting part of the gorge (~60km, 30 there and 30 back).

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THURSDAY – November 11, 2021

Morning...

We pack up and set off...

I drive slowly towards Golubac, making a few stops along the way—fuel, coffee, the usual.

A little before noon, we arrive at the NIS gas station in Braničevo, our go-to pit stop. I think to myself, there’s still about 4 hours until dark, maybe I could start cycling from Braničevo (which would add about 9km to the route—not a big deal, just an easy extra half-hour).

I change, unload the bike from the car, and start pedaling.

But, when I think about it, that might’ve been a mistake...

Why?

Well, because this Thursday, the "košava" (a strong southeastern wind) was in full force, blowing seriously hard. I don’t know exactly how strong the wind was, but my gut feeling said it was at least 30-40km/h, with gusts that felt at least twice as strong.

I took a picture of a chimney at the exit from Braničevo, where the smoke was blowing out at a sharp right angle due to the wind. And I was dealing with the same “right angle” issue while riding.

Smoke at a Right Angle

Between Braničevo and Golubac, it’s all open terrain, and I’m on a slight incline, but the wind shows no mercy. It’s so strong that I’m riding on the small chainring up front, as if I’m climbing a 5-6% grade at least.

I comfort myself with the thought that the wind will ease up a bit once I reach Golubac (thanks to the shelter provided by the surrounding hills and the terrain’s configuration). At one point, I reach the highest point between Braničevo and Golubac, and in the distance, I can clearly see the entrance to the Iron Gates gorge, with the mighty Golubac Fortress guarding the entrance. I stop to take a picture, then continue on. Things are a little better now, with a slight downhill stretch, but the wind is still relentless.

From afar, the entrance to the Iron Gates Gorge and Golubac Fortress come into view

Approaching Golubac, the Gorge is Getting Closer and Clearer

With maximum zoom, the entrance to the gorge is now crystal clear

I arrive in Golubac, and the wind really does ease up a bit—it’s much easier now. I fill my water bottle at a fountain on the way out of the village (I asked around to make sure it was drinkable, and they replied, "Of course"), then I continue onwards toward the Iron Gates gorge.

Near Golubac, the Danube stretches over 6 km wide—it looks like a sea (I almost called it the Pannonian Sea...)

I’m slowly approaching the fortress, the road tracing the winding shoreline, and in several places, it’s carved right into the cliffside.

The cliffs are stunning.

I pull out my phone, preparing to take a photo of the fortress from a distance through the cliff cuts, when a gust of wind catches me off guard. I almost lose my balance, riding one-handed. I barely manage to stay on the bike.

Golubac Fortress - Restored, Majestically Guarding the Entrance to the Iron Gates Gorge

I already know that once I pass the fortress and head a little further, there’s a bend in the road where you officially enter the gorge—and behind that bend, the wind always blows. And by "blows," I mean it really blows.

I can’t help but notice how perfect the asphalt is—brand new.

I pass through the new tunnel, just a little further to that bend, where it all begins.

Of course, the wind doesn’t disappoint. It’s blowing hard, unforgiving, but as the road twists along the cliffs, the wind comes in gusts—sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker—so I manage to keep going, adjusting with each turn.

Entrance to the gorge (in the distance, you can see the fortress)

Golubac Fortress from the "back" side

 The views are breathtaking.
The road quickly deteriorates after this. There’s roadwork going on near the village of Brnjica—about 2
km of bumpy, rough, pothole-ridden road. After that, the old, familiar asphalt returns: rough in places, decent in others—nothing new.

View of the mountains on the Romanian side of the gorge

The tunnels vary, but this one is the first and perhaps the most photogenic.

Village of Dobra

Tunnels are everywhere. Some are short, others long. Some are well-constructed, while others I like to call "wild."

Throughout the gorge, there are informational boards with interesting facts and explanations. I stop above the Boljetinska River, which has a stunning canyon. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to explore the canyon today, but I’ll save it for another time. One interesting detail I learned from the board is that fossilized remains of stingrays (from the Pannonian Sea) were found in the Boljetinska River canyon.

One of the many information boards, in both Serbian and English—fantastic

The clouds create almost surreal scenes at times

View from Boljetin Hill towards Boljetin

I reach the top of Boljetin Hill without any trouble, only 10 km left to go (to Donji Milanovac).
A descent follows, and I quickly arrive in Milanovac, where I take a few more photos (probably the best ones of the day).

Donji Milanovac (on the right)

Autumn colors in their full glory

Sunset in Milanovac—couldn’t get better than this

I finish the ride, and by the time I’ve changed clothes and packed up my bike, the sun has set, and darkness is slowly falling.

Another beautiful ride (if you ignore the wind), with phenomenal, at times unreal, views.
The Iron Gates are incredibly beautiful in the fall.
When I think about it, it’s more accurate to say that the Iron Gates are the most beautiful in the fall.

FRIDAY – November 12, 2021

Morning...

As agreed, today Nikola is riding too.
I peek outside—it’s COLD... BELOW ZERO... BRRRRR....
Okay, so the planned 8:00 a.m. start isn’t happening. We’ll have to wait a bit for the temperature to warm up.
9:40 a.m., and we’re still waiting. It’s still cold, but we’re getting impatient, so we finally head out.
The car parked in the shade near our lodging is still frozen.
The view from the hill where we slept is stunning.

It’s freezing, but the views of the sunny slopes "warm us up"

It’s cold, and we have about 2 km of downhill to start with, so we descend slowly, still cold.

We’ve made it down.

We start riding and slowly warm up. As soon as we get into the sun, it feels much better.

The gang’s all here

Poreč Bay

Poreč Bay

We ride, take photos, and after 20 km, we can see the beginning of the most beautiful part of the gorge in the distance.

Veliki Kazan (The Great Cauldron) from afar

Veliki Kazan from afar

Just one more tunnel before we get the full view of Veliki Kazan

Exiting the tunnel

Veliki kazan

View of Veliki Štrbac (I think that’s the highest peak of the Iron Gates gorge—though I’m not 100% sure)

The spot where the Danube is at its narrowest (the so-called Iron Gate)

Tunnel 2 is significantly different from the others—this one has narrow pipes, as if it was carved for a "Ćira" train.

After Tunnel 2, the climb begins, leading up to the viewpoint, which is our goal for the day.

The viewpoint in the distance, our destination for today

Mrakonija Monastery (on the Romanian side)

At the start of the climb toward the viewpoint, after about 500 meters, we reach Tunnel 1. We stop before the tunnel to take a few photos of the Mrakonija Monastery.

Tunnel 1

After the tunnel, we soon see the largest carved statue in Europe, the figure of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia.

Decebalus

The statue of Decebalus—it took them 10 years to carve him out.

After passing the viewpoint (with obligatory photo stops, of course), we encounter a truck towing another large truck on a trailer, going zig-zag in reverse.
Strange?!?
Actually, very strange?!?

Confused, we barely manage to squeeze past the truck and trailer safely. Then, about 50 meters further, another one appears, and then another, and so on—a total of 4-5 trucks, all in reverse. The scene is completely bizarre...

The truck(s) behaving oddly

I ask around and find out they’re hauling dump trucks for the Majdanpek mine. Only when they got less than a kilometer away from the tunnels did they realize they couldn’t fit through Tunnel 2 (the narrow, double-piped one), so they started reversing to turn around at a widening near the viewpoint.
Okay, we watch the whole maneuver unfold. They say they’ll have to go through Negotin, Klokočevac, to Majdanpek, where there are no tunnels. I confirm that this route is much better and that there are indeed no tunnels there.
We snap a few more photos and slowly head back the same way.

View from a little above the viewpoint

As we approach Veliki Kazan again... it’s unbelievable. We passed through here just half an hour ago, and now everything looks different... That’s because we’re seeing the same landscapes from a different angle.

Restaurant

As I ride towards Milanovac, I realize that I’ve never ridden through the Iron Gates in the "reverse" direction. It’s always been from Golubac to Kladovo (following the flow of the Danube), never the other way around (I’ll have to fix that in a future ride).

Veliki Kazan in front of us once again

Iron Gate—this picture is my favorite (though there are a few others that are close)

Poreč Bay, with the final slopes of Mount Miroč in the background

Poreč Bay, with the final slopes of Mount Miroč in the background

Poreč Bay, with the final slopes of Mount Miroč in the background

Just before entering Donji Milanovac, Boljetin Hill can be seen in the background

What can I say in the end? I was surprised by how beautiful the Iron Gates are in the fall. Honestly, I expected the leaves to have already fallen (with the strong košava winds here), and that everything would be brown and bleak, like in winter, but it wasn’t.

Somehow, I’ve always biked through here in late June, when the days are long, and the gorge is colored in a completely different palette.
The weather was perfect for riding on the second day (not counting the first half-hour when it was freezing). The clouds created interesting patterns in the sky, while also letting the sun through to enhance the fall colors.

No doubt, we’ll ride through the Iron Gates again—the only question is whether it’ll be next summer or if we’ll wait for another beautiful fall.

D.